High
by etecia
Summary: Slight AU. It’s the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton’s back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, his new neighbour. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she’s quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.
1. Take Off

**Title – High**

**Summary – Slight AU. It's the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton's back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, and that she's the girl next door. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she's quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.**

**Rating – T, to be safe.**

**Pairings - Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Sharpay/Zeke (for now)**

**Disclaimer – There's never much point writing one. I wouldn't be writing on here if I owned anything, would I?**

**A/N: My first HSM fic. I wanted to try something different, however it might not be _that_ different. Gabriella and Troy slightly out of character, so I apologise, but this is how I want my fic to go. Let me know what you think.**

* * *

Chapter One - Take Off

'Hey, look who it is!'

When Troy Bolton stepped out of his brand new Range Rover on the first day back at school after summer, he grinned.

Slinging his backpack onto his shoulder and stepping onto the steps that lead up to the doors of East High, he was greeted with cheers, fist-bumps and handshakes, and yells of 'Troy!' This was how he was usually greeted by the student body, only now the greetings he received were littered with shouts of the same question: 'Where the hell were you all summer?'

Troy continued up the steps and through the doors that lead to the cool, bustling hallways of his high school. The seventeen year old was tall, and his straight, sandy brown hair flopped casually across his forehead in his trademark style. It half hid the bright blue eyes that were a brilliant contrast to the deep golden colour of his skin (a nice tan acquired from weeks of walking round sunny tourist spots in Europe).

He was dressed casually in loose blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt and sneakers – his style having changed slightly over the summer from picking up a taste for the low-key fashion that seemed to be on display throughout the continent where he had spent his summer.

Troy's best friend Chad bounded up behind him after getting stuck behind with a similar greeting to Troy's (however, Tory seemed to have more game than Chad and knew when to keep walking, and when to stop and chat). Chad had caught a ride with Troy that morning and wouldn't stop talking about his girlfriend, Taylor. The basketball-obsessed jock had gotten together with the pretty, knowledgeable girl (who seemed to be the exact opposite of him) over the summer, and now Chad held two obsessions: basketball, and Taylor.

Troy didn't mind, in fact, he was pleased for Chad (the guy had a history of short and bad relationships, most of them ending in a slap and the changing of phone numbers), and Taylor seemed like the kind of girl who could keep him in line. Whatever she was currently using on him seemed to be working.

'Do you think she's here yet? Oh man, it seems like ages since I last saw her. It was only last night, but dude, it seems like ages. What do you think she's wearing? Maybe she'll have her hair in those curls, with one of those pretty headbands,' Chad said wistfully, as Troy reached his locker and started loading books into it.

'Dude, I am not discussing your girlfriend's choice of clothing or head wear with you,' Troy said. 'I draw the line there.'

Chad grinned. 'You should have been here this summer, Troy. The way she looked in that bikini when we all went to Sharpay's and Ryan's for the pool party…'

'Woah, slow down! I seriously do _not_ need to be hearing about that!' Troy exclaimed.

'Well, look out, 'cause her she comes now,' Chad said, smiling as he saw Taylor walking down the hall towards them. 'Oh, yes! She went with the green head scarf today…'

'You need help,' Troy laughed as Taylor reached them.

'Who needs help?' she inquired. The dark-skinned girl was dressed in a lime green silk camisole, paired with a knee length black skirt and black flip-flops.

'Troy,' Chad said quickly. 'With his…err, Math.'

Taylor looked incredulous. 'Chad, that's impossible. We haven't even been to homeroom, how can Troy be behind on Math already?'

Chad shrugged. 'I don't know, ask him,' he replied nonchalantly.

Troy gave him a look. Chad just grinned innocently back at him. 'Err…'

'Hey, guys!'

Troy, Chad and Taylor turned and saw Ryan and Sharpay Evans walking down the hall towards them, Sharpay's hand in the air waving at them. 'Hey!' she called.

Sharpay Evans was infamous as East High's most vivacious and cutting student. Her bright blonde hair bounced on her shoulders as she skipped towards them. It was longer than Troy remembered, and now hung sleek and straight below her shoulders. As usual, she was wearing pink – decked out in a hot pink shift dress, black leggings and patent platform heels. Her makeup was carefully applied, with just the right amount of shimmer on her eyes, cheeks and lips. Together with her brother Ryan, they were the hottest all-singing, all-dancing stars of every single East High musical since they started at the school. They were co-presidents of the drama club, and it was a well-known fact that they were unbelievably rich, as their parents owned several country clubs around Albuquerque. Ryan, walking behind Sharpay was dressed in sand coloured slacks with a white and blue striped polo, a blue hat balanced jauntily atop his sandy coloured hair.

As Taylor ran over to Sharpay and threw her arms around the blonde and Chad greeted Ryan with a 'Hey, what's up,' Troy stood there with his mouth open, observing the scene.

'Hey, Troy,' Sharpay greeted him with a smile.

'Yeah, hey…' Troy replied, slightly bewildered.

As Sharpay and Taylor started walking to homeroom, Troy pulled Chad aside. 'Dude, since when have we been friends with Ryan and Sharpay?'

Chad shrugged. 'Since they got nice,' he said, and ran to catch up with Taylor.

Troy shook his head. Slamming his locker and jogging to catch up with his friends, he sighed.

This was gonna be a long year.

When the group reached their homeroom, just before they entered, Sharpay yanked Troy by the hem of his T-shirt and flung him against a locker.

'Listen, Troy,' she started, then, noticing Troy's relatively scared face, toned down her voice. She giggled at his expression, and laid a hand on his shoulder. 'Sorry.'

Troy just blinked and nodded.

'Troy, I just wanted to apologise. I'm sorry we didn't get off to a very good start, and then continued that way for three years, but, I'm hoping that this year will be different,' she said.

Troy was rather taken aback. The Ice Princess of East High…apologising?

'I just wanted to say that…I hope this year, we can put our differences behind us, and be friends. I'm hoping that, maybe, you won't find me so scary,' she said with a laugh.

Troy smiled weakly. Who and what had replaced Sharpay Evans? And, why were they being so _nice_ to him?

'Yeah, Sharpay, I mean, sure,' he said. 'We can do that.'

She squealed and threw her arms around him, before kissing him on the cheek and skipping into the classroom. Troy stood up from where he was slumped against the lockers. What had just happened?

Dazedly, he stumbled into his homeroom and sat at his desk. After greeting Zeke, on his way to deposit some cookies with Sharpay (who then cried out loud in happiness and pulled his face forward to give him a kiss smack on the lips, before cramming a cookie in her mouth. Realising that the rest of the class was staring her at, Sharpay gave them a look and said 'What?' with a mouthful of cookie crumbs. 'You eat _carbs_ now?' asked Chad, until Taylor butted in a told him, 'She hooked up with Zeke and went off her diet. Or did she go off her diet first, _then _hook up with him?' Sharpay swallowed, and then replied, 'Who wouldn't quit their diet for Zekey's peanut butter chocolate mallow cookies?' '_Zekey?_' the class repeated.), he saw Jason walk in with his arm around a brunette girl in a hat with glasses. What he didn't see was Ryan scowl at this gesture of affection.

Troy turned to Chad and said, 'When did all these couples get together?'

Chad gave him a look. 'Troy. It was a long summer. You weren't here, remember?'

'Oh, hey Kelsi!' Sharpay called out to the girl. The girl waved and went over to hug Sharpay.

'Brie should be here in a minute, I saw her when she was filling out all her paperwork,' Kelsi told her.

'Great!' said Taylor.

Troy nudged Chad. 'Brie?' he questioned.

'Yeah,' Chad replied. 'New girl. Smart, gorgeous…hey, if I wasn't already madly in love, I'd think about getting me a piece of that- ow!' he said as Taylor smacked him in the head. 'I said I was madly in love!'

'I know, but that was for talking about Brie like she's a piece of meat,' Taylor said sweetly, which earned a laugh from Troy.

'Here she is!' Sharpay squealed. 'Brie!'

Troy looked up, and saw a dark haired girl walk in. Time seemed to slow at that moment. Her long hair was darker than milk chocolate, and was twisted into loose curls. She had bangs that were swept off her face to one side and gently brushed down by her dark eyes, which were rimmed with liner, so they seemed even blacker than they already were. Her lips were glossy, her eyes sparkled. She was dressed in a flowy, deep purple silk top that had three-quarter length sleeves and a plunging v-neckline and she had wrapped a black belt around the middle.She had paired it with black skinny jeans and black ballet flats. A long beaded necklace hung around her neck and an oversized black bag was slung over her shoulder.

In short, she was _perfect._

The girls all leapt up to hug her, and she was engulfed in arms and squeals of 'We're so glad you're here!'

She laughed, an innocent, bubbly laugh that was music to Troy's ears. He couldn't stop staring at her.

Chad punched his arm lightly. 'Dude, close your mouth,' he laughed.

When the girls had calmed down and finished screaming, Sharpay and Taylor brought her over to where Chad, Troy and Zeke were now sitting.

Sharpay held the girl's hand tightly, and grinned. 'Brie, you know Chad and Zeke,' she started.

The girl nodded her head, her curls bouncing lightly on her shoulders. 'Hey, guys, looking forward to basketball season?'

Chad laughed. 'You know it! And we got our main man right here,' he said, slapping Troy lightly on the chest, Zeke putting his hands on Troy's shoulders, Troy grinning.

'Speaking of,' Taylor said, 'Brie, this is Troy Bolton, Troy, Gabriella Montez.'

Troy stared up into her eyes. She flashed him a grin and offered her hand.

'Nice to meet you,' he said, shaking her hand. He didn't want to let go.

She continued looking at him, her smile never faltering. 'You've got lipstick on your face.'

'What?' Troy's hand flew up to his face. Gabriella laughed.

Bending over, she said, 'Here, let me help you with that.' She held her hand up to his face and gently rubbed the remains of Sharpay's pink of the lipstick from his cheek. It was such an intimate touch, that Troy almost felt himself blush. He looked into her eyes, and she stared right back at him, a small smile playing on her lips.

Chad who had moved off to talk to Taylor, nudged her and pointed over to Troy and Gabriella, who were still wrapped up in each other. 'Look.'

Taylor smiled. It seemed Gabriella would fit in fine.


	2. Unwind

**Title – High**

**Summary – Slight AU. It's the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton's back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, his new neighbour. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she's quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.**

**Rating – T, to be safe.**

**Pairings - Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Sharpay/Zeke (for now)**

**Disclaimer – There's never much point writing one. I wouldn't be writing on here if I owned anything, would I?**

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I've been away from fanfiction for a while, and I had forgotten how lovely it is to get lots of nice reviews from people :) I've never been that good at updating, but hopefully I can keep this one up. Here's chapter two, it's a little shorter, but I hope you like it.**

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Chapter Two - Unwind

Troy collapsed on his bed with a sigh. 'What a day...' he thought wearily to himself. He hadn't seemed to have be able to get Gabriella out of his head. She had been everywhere he went - homeroom, math class, lunch, in the hallways... He couldn't escape her.

Not that he minded much.

Chad seemed to have noticed how taken he was with her, and didn't hesitate to point this out at every available opportunity. Normally, Chad would have been horrified at the prospect of his captain getting distracted from basketball, but since he had Taylor, he didn't seem to mind, which he also pointed out to Troy.

_'If you like her, why don't you just go for it? And from the way you two were cosying up in homeroom, I'm sure she wouldn't say no,' he had suggested helpfully earlier._

_'We weren't cosying, there was no cosying,' Troy argued. 'Besides, I barely know her. She just got here and we just met.'_

_Chad pointed his finger at Troy. 'Aha!' he said with a triumphant grin. 'You're making excuses! You really like her!'_

_'Chad! I've hardly spoken 5 words to her!'_

_'See? You're doing it again! I knew it!'_

Troy lay on his bed with his hands folded on his chest, staring up at the ceiling. What was so special about Gabriella? He didn't know her well enough to really be into her, did he? Sure, she was beautiful, and she seemed smart, and funny, and she had that gorgeous laugh he couldn't seem to get enough of...

Troy shook his head. He needed to stop thinking about her. He needed something else to think about. Pulling his books out of his bag, he flipped to a random page in one, and started to read.

* * *

After about an hour of reading the same page over and over again, Troy gave up. He decided to do the one thing that could possibly clear his head. Basketball. 

He retrived the ball that lay on his bead, quickly changed and ran out to the court in his back yard. He had been working on free throws for a little while, when he heard a rustling in the bushes. He stopped to listen, but didn't hear anything else, so he carried on. A few seconds later he heard the rustling again, and this time saw some of the leaves in the bushes move. He stopped to watch, and after much more movement, out came Gabriella with leaves in her hair.

Troy stared at her.

'Hey,' she said breathlessly.

'W-what, what are you doing here?' he stuttered, speechless.

She turned and pointed in the direction of the next house. 'Oh, I saw you playing from my house, and I thought I'd come say hi. It seems our houses are next to each other. Surprise, neighbour!' she said smiling.

'But the fence...' Troy said weakly, pointing to the chainlink fence that separated the two gardens and kept the undergrowth from the other yard out.

'I found a hole in it,' she said, sounding pleased with herself. 'You should probably fix that, cus a dog could get loose or something.'

Troy still looked at her, astounded. She giggled.

'You don't say much, huh?'

'No!' he said quickly. 'I mean, I do, I just -I'm not -err...'

She laughed again. Troy nearly melted.

'So, basketball huh?'

Troy looked down at the ball in his hands. Few. A subject he could talk about.

'Yeah.'

Or not.

She walked over to him and took the ball fom him. Standing in the perfect posistion, she lifted her arms up and made a shot.

'Whoa,' he said. 'Don't tell me you're good at hoops too?'

Gabriella folded her arms. 'You know, I once scored 41 points on a League Championship game.'

Troy stared. 'No way.'

'Yeah, and in the same day I invented the space shuttle _and_ microwave popcorn.'

Troy, realising he'd been played, laughed. 'Microwave popcorn, haha, funny,' he said, stealing the ball from her and making a shot.

'Gabriella! Dinner!' a voice called.

Gabriella turned and called back, 'I'll be right there!' She turned back to Troy.

'I'd better get going. It was nice talking to you. I'll see you tomorrow?'

'Yeah,' Troy said, liking the sound of it.. 'I'll see you tomorrow.' But by the time he had finished speaking, she was already gone.

* * *

Troy was laid on his bed with his iPod in his ears and flipping through a magazine when he heard a tap on his window. He got up and opened it to see Gabriella sat on the roof outside his window. 

'Man, are you stalking me?' he joked.

She laughed. 'Only if you want me to,' she joked, winking. She raised her hands and gestured around her. 'It seems we share window space as well, Mr Bolton. My room is only a tree climb away.'

He looked behind her. It did seem that her room was right opposite his.

She poked him. 'What kinda guy are you? You just gonna leave me sat out here or are you gonna invite me in?'

'Oh, right,' he said, moving aside so she could climb in, which she did, easily. She stood up and straightened hervself out, brushing down her jeans and smoothing her hair.

'Nice place you got,' she said, eyeing the clothes strewn around Troy's bedroom.

Troy smiled, slightly flustered. 'Err, well, you see, I just got back from Europe and I haven't had time to unpack properly or get all my laundry done...'

'Troy, it's okay, I'm only teasing you,' she said with a laugh.

Troy took in a sharp breath. He loved the way she said his name. He watched her walking around his room, taking everything in. It seemed such a personal thing for her to be looking around his room. Who he was was in that room. Basketball trophies, photographs, CD's...and yet Troy loved her being there. It seemed so natural.

'So, how long have you lived here?' she asked him.

'Pretty much all my life,' he replied. 'What about you?'

She laughed, almost bitterly. 'I've moved every summer for about the past five years,' she said. 'I've been in California, New York, Utah, Texas, Washington DC, Georgia...you name it, I've probably lived there, lived in the state next to it or driven through it,' she said with a smile. 'But my mom has promised that we're not moving til after graduation.'

'Wow,' Troy said, sitting on his bed. 'So that's a lot of new school's, huh?'

She jpined him on his bed. 'Yeah, but it's okay. I get to go and invent a completely new personality everywhere I go.'

Troy looked down at his hands. 'So... who are you gonna be at East High?' He looked up at her.

She smiled at him. 'I don't know yet.'


	3. Collide

**Title – High**

**Summary – Slight AU. It's the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton's back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, his new neighbour. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she's quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.**

**Rating – T, to be safe.**

**Pairings – Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Zeke/Sharpay (for now)**

**Disclaimer – There's never much point writing one. I wouldn't be writing on here if I owned anything, would I?**

**A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! I usually write angsty stuff, but it was nice to know that you thought the last two chapters were adorable :) Gabriella is a little out of character, but I wanted to show the more confident side of her. There are so many fics around that portray her as being the really shy new girl, b****ut I really don't think the character is. So, for a change, I thought I'd show the confident side that we do see sometimes in the first movie, and more in the 2nd movie. So, here's the 3rd chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

The next afternoon, when Troy got home from school, his mom pulled him into the kitchen. She gave him a quick hug, and pulled out a chair at the island counter for him. 'How was your day, sweetie?' she asked.

'It was good,' he replied. 'There's a new girl at school, and she's friends with Chad's girlfriend, and she seems pretty cool.'

'Oh, you must like her,' smiled Mrs Bolton.

Troy threw his hands up, exasperated. 'We met yesterday, Mom, I barely know her. Can't I just be friends with her?'

'Woah, getting defensive, you must _really_ like her,' Mrs Bolton said, raising her eyebrows.

'Why does everyone keep saying that??' Troy exclaimed.

Mrs Bolton faced Troy and placed her hands firmly on the counter top. 'I'm sorry, Troy, it's just, you've never mentioned a girl to me before, so she must have made an impression on you if thought to tell me about her,' she said reasonably.

'Okay, mom,' Troy said, tiredly, but still smiling to show her that he was okay with what she said. He got up from the chair he was sat in and turned to go up the stairs.

'Oh, Troy?' his mom called.

'Yeah?'

'We've invited the new neighbours round for dinner, so I hope you don't have too much homework.'

Troy stopped in his tracks. 'Uh...I'll make sure I get it done early,' he called shakily back.

'Good. I think they have a daughter, she's about your age, so you might wanna watch a movie or something in your room later if our adult chat gets too boring for you,' she called again.

Troy stuttered, 'Err, sure, Mom...' and turned and ran up the stairs to his room before he could hear any more.

* * *

'Troy! The neighbours are here!' his mom called up the stairs.

Troy stood in front of his mirror and took one last look. His dark jeans hung fairly loosely on his hips, and his black button up shirt was fitted to match his lean torso. He had rolled up the sleeves on his shirt and thrown on a pair of checked Vans. His hair was straight and hung messily across his forehead, rather than drooping across his brow, revealing his bright blue eyes that popped out against his tanned skin. _That'll have to do, _he thought to himself. Stealing one last glance, he leapt out of his room and tried to control his nerves at the top of the stairs. He took deep breaths, and started down the stairs.

'Ah, Troy, there you are!' his dad, Jack, said, smiling at him.

Troy smiled at his parents who were stood by the front door, and his gaze then drifted to the two women standing across from him. His eyes first saw Mrs Montez, who was in a white and silver blouse with an ankle-scraping skirt, and then his gaze was glued to the figure standing next to her.

Gabriella was in a navy blue dress that hit just above the knee. The dress had turquoise ribbon detail on the thin straps and around the hem. Her hair was in loose waves, with only her bangs pinned up above her forehead. Her eyes were rimmed with eyeliner, but there was a small amount of shimmer on the top of her eyes, and on her cheeks and brow. Her lips were glossy and a deep pink, and a single, circular, silver pendant hung around her neck, complimenting the teardrop pendants that glittered in her ears.

Troy was speechless. She was stunning. Her beauty amazed him. He didn't understand how she could stun him with her radiance every single time he saw her. He carefully stepped down from the last step.

'Hi,' he said lamely.

'Hey, Troy,' Gabriella smiled.

'Oh, you guys know each other?' Troy's mom asked.

'Yeah,' Troy and Gabriella said in unison. Gabriella laughed. Troy sucked in air.

'Gabriella is friends with Taylor, Chad's girlfriend,' Troy explained. Gabriella nodded. Troy's mother shot him a look, raising her eyebrows. She'd obviously put two and two together.

'_Oh, boy,' _thought Troy. He was gonna have some explaining to do.

'What a small world,' Gabriella's mother commented, with a smile on her face.

'Yes, well, shall we head into the kitchen and get you a drink? We'll leave these two to chat,' Troy's mother said, with a subtle wink at Troy.

'That would be lovely!' said Gabriella's mother, and the three adults strolled into the kitchen, leaving Troy and Gabriella alone in the hall. Silence ensued.

'Holy awkward,' Gabriella commented.

Troy laughed. 'I didn't think it was gonna be that weird.'

'Yeah, and what was with your mom? She kept looking at you funny after we said we already knew each other.'

'Oh, uh, I don't know, I guess, I mean, she must have…well, yeah,' Troy finished. He stared at the floor.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows and gave him a knowing smile. 'So, nice house. I like it. Very…modern. But still homey,' she explained gesturing around her and shuffling a little closer to him. At least, he thought she did.

Troy looked up. 'Yeah? Wanna see some more of it?' _Shit, _he thought. _Is she gonna take that the wrong way?_

Gabriella giggled slightly, before answering with a grin, 'I'd love to.'

'Great,' Troy said. 'My room's got a killer balcony upstairs, with an amazing view of the sky at night.'

'Really? My room's got a balcony too,' she commented.

'Come on, I'll show you,' he said, taking her hand. 'It should be getting dark soon. We can sit out there until it's time to eat.'

'Sounds perfect.'

* * *

'You were right, it is beautiful up here,' Gabriella breathed. She rubbed her arms slightly and tilted her head to the fresh air. Troy noticed – he couldn't keep his eyes off her.

'Are you cold?' he asked.

'No, I'm okay,' she said.

'No, I'll get you a jacket,' he said gallantly. He retreated into his room and pulled out a black jacket, before walking outside and placing it gently on her shoulders. She turned to face him and he pulled it tighter around her, before rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm her up. She tilted her head up to look at him, and he stared down into her eyes. He drank in the sight of her, her eyes wide and her hair blowing in the slight breeze, wrapped up in his jacket. His arms were still half around her as he studied her face. The dim half-light cast shadows across her features, creating caves where her eyes were. She was even more beautiful in silhouette. Even though he couldn't make out her eyes fully, he could feel them bore into him, and he knew she was studying him in just as much detail as he was her, as if trying to commit the image to memory. Only the sound of, 'Troy! Gabriella!' jolted them out of their trance. Silently, Gabriella took off Troy's jacket and handed it to him, walked back into his room and quickly out to and down the stairs. If Troy had been fast enough, he would have been able to see the slight smile that played at her lips.

* * *

'So, why doesn't Troy drive Gabriella to school in the mornings?'

Troy dropped his fork with a clatter.

'They live right next door to each other, they've got the same homeroom,' said Troy's dad. 'Troy's got a brand new Range Rover and it would save Gabriella from having to get the bus.'

Troy shot a glance at Gabriella, to find she looked at him at the same time.

'Well, that's wonderful and so generous of you,' Mrs Montez smiled. 'I'm sure Gabi would love to take you up on that.' She gave a pointed look to her daughter.

'Oh, uh, yeah,' she said. 'That would be great. If Troy's okay with it,' she quickly added.

His mom looked at him expectantly, before shooting making a face that said _I set this up for you, don't blow it, and be polite._

'No problem,' he said weakly.

'Excellent!' Troy's mother exclaimed. To Gabriella she said, 'He'll pick you up in the morning.'

Gabriella smiled at her in return. 'I'll see you tomorrow then,' she said, grinning slightly mischievously at Troy.

Finally, to Troy, the phrase 'I'llseeyoutomorrow' didn't sound like a question, but an event that was going to happen, no matter what.


	4. Apologise

**Title – High**

**Summary – Slight AU. It's the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton's back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, his new neighbour. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she's quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.**

**Rating – T, to be safe.**

**Pairings – Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Zeke/Sharpay (for now)**

**Disclaimer – There's never much point writing one. I wouldn't be writing on here if I owned anything, would I?**

**A/N: Hey everyone! I want to say thank you SO much for all the reviews! I can't believe the incredible response I have received for this story, and on my first HSM one as well! I've had nearly as many hits on three chapters as I had on a 13 chapter fic (one that I never got around to finishing :)) and it's been added to the 'Troyella's and Zanessa's greatest…' fic community! Thank you guys so so much. I thought that maybe Gabriella's change in personality wouldn't go down to well, but you all seem to think I'm doing okay! I'm trying to stay on top of posting new chapter, and so far it seems to be going pretty well. Anyway, I've talked too much; I'll let you all get on with reading the story :) Here's chapter four, I hope you like it.**

* * *

Chapter Four – Apologise

The next morning when Troy pulled open his front door, the first thing he saw was Gabriella stood on the step with her hand poised to ring the doorbell, and two flasks of coffee balanced in her other hand. She looked up, surprised.

'Hi!' she said cheerily. 'I brought coffee.' She held out a cup to him.

He stepped outside, taking the proffered coffee from her outstretched arm and shut his front door behind him. 'Thanks,' he said with a grin, 'but you didn't have to do that.' He fell into step beside her, and they began to walk to his car.

'Oh no,' she said. 'I did. I wanted to say thanks…and I'm sorry,' she admitted.

'What?' Troy said. They reached his car, and he walked over to the driver's side and unlocked the doors. Gabriella didn't open the passenger door, but stayed where she was.

'I just wanted to apologise. I mean, I got you roped into driving me to school in the first place and I should have just said no, but they were all looking at me and I didn't know what to say and it was really on the spot, you know, and then I just said yes and you kinda looked a bit stunned and then I felt…' she rambled, trailing off as she noticed him chuckling quietly at her. 'Wait. Why are you laughing at me?'

'Gabriella. Brie,' Troy said, slamming his door shut and walking around the car to stand in front of her. 'I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't mean it. If driving you to school means I get to spend twenty minutes alone with you in the morning, then I'd love to be your chauffeur. It sounds like the perfect way to start my day,' he said, grinning, and gallantly opening the door for her and offering her his hand to help her in.

'Oh, well, if you're sure…' she joked, taking his hand, and stepping up into the passenger seat. Troy felt a shiver from deep in his gut when her skin met his. Closing her door, he jogged round to the driver's side and jumped in. Starting the engine, he stole a glance at her, to see her rummaging through her oversized black bag. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she wore long baggy blue jeans and flip flops, with a white top with brown detailing across the bust. Bracelets adorned her wrists, small cross earrings hung in her ears and a delicate chain was around her neck. A long silver pendant jingled around her neck, engraved with a 'G' and a shorter pendant hung closer to her neck. **(A/N: pic in my profile)**

'What are you looking for?' he asked.

She stopped rummaging. 'Didn't I tell you? I get really car sick.'

Troy's eyes opened wide. She burst out laughing.

'Joking!' she gasped.

Troy stared at her, then started tickling her. 'Not funny! This is a brand new car!'

'Okay! Okay, truce! Just stop!' she cried in between giggles. He obeyed and stopped. 'But you should have seen your face.'

* * *

When Troy and Gabriella entered the hallways of East High together, they didn't notice people staring at them. They walked down the hallway chatting to each other animatedly, and didn't realise that Sharpay and Zeke were stood at Sharpay's locker, watching them.

'Well, well, well, what do we have here...' Sharpay said slyly, a grin sweeping her face, peering out from behind her pink locker.

Zeke looked from where Gabriella and Troy were walking down the hall laughing to his blonde girlfriend and back again. 'Woah, Shar, I don't think you should really try to, I mean he's Troy, and, well, you never know about Brie, she's only been here a few days, and, oh no, Shar you can't...' Zeke trailed off.

'I'm not gonna do anything, don't worry,' said Sharpay innocently. 'I'll just...ask her opinion on something,' she commented offhandedly.

'Shar...' Zeke said in a warning voice.

'Calm down, I'll be very subtle. Besides, Brie's a smart girl. If she knows what's good for her, she'll do what she needs to do,' Sharpay said cryptically.

'And what is that?' Zeke asked.

Sharpay just gave him a slow wink. 'I'll see you later,' she whispered in his ear, before giving him a quick kiss and skipping off to her homeroom, leaving him bewildered in her wake.

* * *

The bell rang for homeroom, and as Ms Darbus waltzed in, swinging a long multicoloured scarf around her neck, Troy leaped up from his seat quickly moved to Gabriella's desk, and leaned on it.

'Mr Bolton! Back in your seat!'

'I forgot to ask,' Troy said, ignoring Darbus, 'do you want a ride home?'

'Mr Bolton!'

'Uh...' Gabriella hesitated and noticed that everyone in the class was staring at her, including Taylor and Sharpay, who were both watching her intently.

'Well?' Troy pushed.

'Mr Bolton, I do not appreciate you ignoring me! Get back to your seat or you will learn some manners in detention!' Ms Darbus called sharply.

Troy looked at Gabriella pointedly. 'Well?' he asked again.

'Mr Bolton!'

'Yes,' Gabriella blurted. 'Yes please, that would be great.'

Troy grinned at her and quickly sat back in his seat.

Taylor shot a look at Gabriella that said, 'What the hell was that about??'

Gabriella shrugged and shook her head in response.

* * *

At lunch, as soon as Gabriella sat down at their usual table, Sharpay and Taylor leapt on her.

'What the hell was that all about this morning??'

'He's giving you a ride??'

'He never gives anyone but Chad a ride!'

'He's so obviously into you!'

'GUYS!' Gabriella yelled. Taylor and Sharpay shut up.

'Can you just listen for two seconds? Troy and I are _neighbours. NEIGHBOURS . _That's it. He was just doing his parents a favour by giving me a ride this morning,' Gabriella explained.

'He gave you a ride _this morning _??' asked Taylor.

Gabriella put her head in her hands.

'Hey,' a voice from behind her said. She looked up, and there was Troy.

'Hey!' she said back. 'I thought you had practice?'

'We do,' he said, 'but I just came to tell you that I'll meet you at your locker after school, okay?'

'No, I'll meet you at _your _locker after school,' she said with a devilish grin.

Troy laughed. Then he noticed Sharpay and Taylor talking quietly behind their hands to each other. When they realised he was looking at them, Sharpay leapt up and 'casually' settled herself on the bleachers with one of Kelsi's compositions, occasionally clearing her throat for effect, while Taylor shoved mac and cheese in her mouth and flipped furiously through her textbook.

'What's up with them?' he asked.

'Oh,' said Gabriella offhandedly, 'they think we're in love.' This caused Taylor to choke and Sharpay to slip on the bleachers.

'Well, in that case...' Troy murmured as he bent down to her ear, sending shivers down her spine, and casually dropped a kiss on her cheek.

'I'll see you later,' he said. Then, with a wink and a grin, he disappeared, leaving Gabriella with a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

Troy was packing his books into his backpack when he was plunged into darkness and he felt two hands cover his eyes.

'Guess who?' a sweet voice whispered, but Troy hadn't needed her to speak to figure out who it was. He could tell it was her because she smelt of coconut from her perfume, mixed with the sweetness of her strawberries and cream shampoo. It was a scent he had already committed to memory.

'The tooth fairy?' he asked playfully, and as she removed her hands he turned to face her. 'Oh, no, not the tooth fairy, but another fairy.' Troy shut his locker and grinned at her.

'Ready to go?' she asked.

'Hey, are you the one driving or am I?' Troy teased.

'Well, if you don't hurry up you'll be the one standing on the sidewalk while I'm halfway home in a brand new car,' she teased back.

They started to walk through the school and in the direction of the school's parking lot out front.

'I'm sorry about Sharpay and Taylor,' Gabriella started. 'They went crazy on me after you left.'

'Don't apologise,' Troy said. 'It's okay, it was actually quite funny joking around with them and seeing their faces after I kissed you.'

'Well, maybe we do it more often then.'

_What?_ Troy thought. Had he heard correctly?

'Joke around with them,' said Gabriella. 'Maybe we should joke around with them more often.'

'Oh,' said Troy weakly. 'Of course.' They had reached his car, and he unlocked it and they jumped in.

'By the way, what has got into you?' Gabriella asked, as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

'What?' Troy asked back.

'Well, when I first met you, you seemed kinda shy and awkward. It was actually kinda hard to imagine you as the star of the basketball team,' she admitted. 'But now...'

'Now...' he prompted.

'Now you just seem...more confident. Certainly happy to play around a bit more,' Gabriella finished.

Troy thought about this. The two sat in silence for the rest of the way home, a silence that was slightly awkward and oddly comforting at the same time. Neither of them spoke until Troy pulled up outside their houses.

'I'm sorry,' Gabriella said.

'What is it with you and apologising today?' Troy laughed.

'I'm sorry, I just felt guilty, I shouldn't have asked. You obviously didn't feel comfortable so, uh, I just, uh, I'm gonna go,' she said and quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door, but before she could leave Troy caught her arm.

'Gabriella,' he said. God, he loved the way her name rolled off his tongue. He let go of her arm, and she turned to look at him.

'The reason I was so awkward when we met was...it was because...it was because I was intimidated by you,' he admitted. She looked at him questioningly.

'It's just...you were so..._beautiful_ when you first walked into that classroom, and so confident, and the way you just started talking to me...I was taken aback, you know?' he explained. 'Then you showed up in my back yard and I was just amazed at how forward you were, but in a good way,' he added. 'You're not like most girls at our school. In fact, you're not like any girl I've ever met. You're so much more interesting, and funny and smart and...better,' he finished lamely.

Gabriella didn't say anything, but just looked him in the eyes, her own chocolate orbs twinkling. She opened the door again, but before she jumped out she leaned in close to him. This time, it was her turn to kiss him on the cheek.


	5. Stay

**Title – High**

**Summary – Slight AU. It's the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton's back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, his new neighbour. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she's quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.**

**Rating – T, to be safe.**

**Pairings – Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Zeke/Sharpay (for now)**

**Disclaimer – There's never much point writing one. I wouldn't be writing on here if I owned anything, would I?**

**A/N: Hey everyone! Just a quick author's note today to let you know that I'll be away from my computer for about a day and a half from tomorrow, but I'll still keep writing and I'll try and upload a new chapter when I get back. On with the chapter.**

* * *

Five – Stay

It had been a month since Troy first drove Gabriella to school. They had turned it into a routine – She would wait for him in his kitchen until he was ready to leave (Troy's mother had discovered her one morning on the step and had been horrified to learn that she waited there for him every morning. The day after, she invited Gabriella into the house and fed her toast until Troy emerged from his room.), more often than not with coffee (sometimes she made cappuccinos, or Troy's favorite, large espressos that gave an instant kick. Mrs Bolton was again horrified that the two seventeen year olds drank straight black coffee first thing in the morning, but the two had refused her attempts to get them to drink something a little more healthy). The two then set off in his car for the twenty-minute drive to school, with the stereo blaring and the sound of their laughter filtering through the windows.

If Troy had basketball practice after school, Gabriella would sit in the library and do her homework, or else she'd sit on the bleachers and watch. Sometimes she had a book with her; sometimes she had a notebook that she'd occasionally scribble in; sometimes she sat empty handed. Coach Bolton and the rest of the team got used to her presence, and sometimes one of the team (mostly Chad, Zeke or Jason) would go up and sit with her for a few minutes if Troy couldn't. When practice finished, Troy would run and shower, and when he burst out of the gym doors, he'd find her sat against the wall on the floor, picking at the hard skin next to her fingernails. She'd look up at him and smile, and he'd feel his insides turning into mush. He'd stretch out his hand to her, and she'd take it and allow herself to be pulled to her feet. Troy never wanted to let go of her hand, and sometimes (when he was feeling brave) he didn't.

Troy would never be able to explain how much he looked forward to driving her to and from school. It was one of the few rare times that they got to be alone together, and Troy treasured it (much to Chad's dismay, as he no longer received an invitation for a ride to school). When Troy was around Gabriella, he suddenly seemed more alive. He cracked more jokes and laughed more, he felt more awake and moved more and faster when she was near. And when he looked at her…when he looked at her he felt like he couldn't stop looking at her. When he stared into her chocolate brown eyes, he felt himself being pulled deeper and deeper.

The more he thought about Gabriella, the more he realized he was falling for her. And boy, was he falling.

Fast.

* * *

Gabriella, Troy, Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Sharpay, Kelsi, Ryan and Jason were sat at and around their usual lunch table by the bleachers on a Friday. Sharpay and Zeke were giggling about something, as he fed her brownies. Ryan and Kelsi were sat talking about her latest composition, while Jason sat next to her looking bored. Chad and Taylor were arguing about basketball while Gabriella and Taylor were going over the boy's math homework.

'I can't believe you just can't do it yourselves,' Taylor complained.

Chad stopped arguing with Troy long enough to say, 'Baby, what kind of guy would I be if I wasted your talents? Your _many _talents,' he hinted suggestively. Taylor giggled and blushed.

'Ew, guys, come on, there's other people here,' Gabriella reminded them.

'Yeah, we really don't need to hear about _that_ part of your relationship, as…_fascinating_ as it may be,' Troy joked, winking at Gabriella, who laughed.

'OhmahGoh, guys, yoh nee do dry dese browneef!' Sharpay said from across the table, with a mouth full of brownie.

Troy, Chad, Gabriella and Taylor all stared at Sharpay, who then swallowed and said, 'what? Why does everyone keep doing that?'

Zeke passed over a container that held six chocolate brownies. 'Triple chocolate,' he said.

Troy took two brownies, and Chad, Taylor, Jason and Ryan each took one. Troy put his brownie on the table and tilted Gabriella's head towards him. He gently held the spare brownie out to her, and she giggled and took a bite. Chad nudged Taylor who nudged Sharpay, and the three of them watched as Troy slowly fed the brownie to Gabriella. Sharpay raised her eyebrows and turned to Taylor. 'We need to do something,' she muttered. Taylor just nodded her head once in agreement.

'Hey, Kelsi, did you get a brownie?' Zeke asked the petite girl.

'Oh, no, it's okay, I didn't want one…' she breathed quietly, watching her boyfriend Jason, who was scarfing his brownie down like his life depended on it.

'Here, have mine,' Ryan offered.

'No, no, it's fine, keep it,' she said.

'I insist,' he said, handing it to her.

Kelsi blushed. 'Thank you,' she murmured.

Ryan just smiled at her.

'So, hey, my house is free tonight,' announced Sharpay, 'our parents are away.'

'Party!' yelled Chad.

'Err, no, I was thinking more along the lines of 'free for any girls who wanna come over to stay the night.' And girls only,' she said firmly.

'Oh man,' said Chad, disappointed. 'Zeke, she's your girlfriend, can't you say something to her?'

Zeke raised his hands as if backing off. 'No way, I don't mess with her,' he said.

'I've trained him well,' Sharpay sang, before sweetly kissing Zeke on the lips, receiving groans and calls of 'get a room' from the others. 'Anyway, who's in?'

'I'm in,' said Taylor quickly. She'd caught onto Sharpay's idea, and shot a look at Kelsi.

'Uh, me too,' Kelsi said.

'I'm in as well,' said Gabriella. 'But I better call my mom and tell her.'

'That's okay, Brie, we can just stop by your house on the way back to mine to pick up your stuff,' Sharpay offered. 'And Taylor's house and Kelsi's place as well.'

'Really? That'd be great,' Gabriella said happily.

'So you won't be needing a ride home then?' asked Troy, disappointed.

'I guess not,' Gabriella said. 'But I'll make it up to you later.' She winked.

'Um, Shar?' Ryan piped up.

'Yeah?'

'What am _I_ meant to do while you guys are at the house?'

There was a pause. Ryan looked at Sharpay who shrugged.

'Go out or something?' she suggested.

'Hey, why don't you guys come round,' Ryan suggested to the rest of the guys. 'Our parents are leaving to go to a funeral in Portland, so they won't be back 'til Monday at least.'

'What?' screeched Sharpay. 'Ryan, I just said I was having the girls round tonight. Do you have short term memory loss?' Zeke chided her for being mean.

'Shar, the house is big enough, we'll stick to our side and you stick to yours. We'll barely know you're there, and you'll barely know we're there,' Ryan said.

There was a pause. Sharpay looked at Taylor, then at Kelsi, then at Gabriella and then back at Ryan. Chad seemed to hold his breath.

Sharpay sighed. 'Okay then,' she said resignedly.

'Yeah! Party round Ryan's!' Chad cried, and the group laughed at him.

'Actually, I can't,' said Jason. 'I gotta go to my little sister's violin recital tonight.'

'Okay, man, we'll miss you,' said Ryan.

'Looks like I might be seeing you after all,' Troy murmured to Gabriella.

'Troy,' she whispered back, 'you know we're gonna be on separate sides of the house.' She smiled.

'Not if I have something to do with that,' he grinned mischievously.

* * *

'So Troy, what exactly is going on with you and Brie?' Ryan asked.

Chad snorted. 'He's completely in love with her, that's what!'

Troy punched Chad. 'I am not.'

'Oh, come on, Troy, we can all see it. You give her a ride to and from school everyday, you sit with her at lunch, you live right next door to each other for God's sake. Besides, I've seen your face when she enters the room.'

Troy sighed. 'Okay, so maybe you're right,' he admitted.

'Uh, yeah!' Chad said.

'But I just don't know what to do. I mean, she's so confident and I just feel like jelly when I get her alone,' Troy said.

'Well you must be doing something right,' piped up Zeke, 'cus she hasn't blanked you.'

'Yet,' Troy muttered.

* * *

'Gabriella! Get your butt over here!' Sharpay shouted, giggling.

'I'm coming!' Gabriella called back. She ran out of Sharpay's on-suite bathroom in her pyjamas and jumped on Sharpay's king sized bed giggling.

'Taylor!' Sharpay called. 'Shut the door on Chad and get over here! I knew the whole separate sides of the house thing wouldn't work.'

Taylor sighed and gave Chad a quick kiss before closing the door and joing them on the bed.

Kelsi was also sat on Sharpay's bed, painting her nails, while Sharpay popped a movie into the DVD player. The blonde hopped back onto the bed in her pink silk babydoll nightdress, her hair in a bouncy pony. Kelsi was wearing a red t-shirt and long black sweat pants. Her hair was in a messy bun, and her glasses were perched on the end of her nose. Taylor was dressed in a lime green tank top and white short shorts, that accentuated her long, smooth legs. Gabriella had a clean white tank top on, which she had paired with loose, flowy crimson pants that reached mid-calf and had a tie at the side. Her hair was down and in it's usual waves.

'So,' Sharpay said as she settled herself on the bed. 'Gabriella.'

'Uh oh,' laughed Gabriella. 'That doesn't sound good.'

'Well,' Sharpay started, 'we've noticed that you and Troy seem to be getting a bit cosy...'

Gabriella laughed.

'And I think we've all been a bit surprised at how Troy is so taken with you,' said Kelsi. 'He never really went for your type before.'

'What type did he go for?' Gabriella asked curiously.

Taylor was the one to answer this time. 'Well...blonde, for starters, and bitchy,' she said. 'Kinda like Sharpay,' she added. 'No offense,' she said to Sharpay.

'None taken,' Sharpay said happily.

'Let's cut to the chase,' interrupted Taylor. 'Do you like him?'

Gabriella smiled. 'I don't know. I guess,' she said.

Sharpay squealed. 'I knew it!'

'Woah, slow down Shar. We're really good friends, that's all I meant in saying that I liked him.'

Taylor shot her a look.

'Come on, Brie, you have to give us more than that,' pushed Kelsi.

Gabriella hesitated before answering. 'Okay, okay,' she began. 'All I'm saying is that I'm not putting myself out there and I'm not going for it. But if he feels...that way inclined, I wouldn't discourage him.'

This time they all squealed. In the midst of the laughter and the excitement, Gabriella didn't notice Sharpay get out her Sidekick and quickly type something before shutting it and putting it away.

* * *

A cell phone beeped, and Ryan scrambled over to where it was sitting. Picking it up, he flipped it open.

_One new message._

_From: Sharpay_

_We are go._

Quickly, Ryan texted back. He looked up to where the boys were playing on his PS3 and cleared his throat.

'Uhh...Troy? I'm outta Coke. Could you grab me another from the fridge downstairs?'

'Oh yeah man, and me,' called Chad.

'Me too,' said Zeke.

Troy stood up. 'What am I, your slaves now?'

'Yeah,' they chorused.

Troy rolled his eyes and walked out of the room.

_

* * *

_

Sharpay shut her phone and looked up at Gabriella. 'You know what would be great with this movie?' she said. 'Popcorn.'

'I second that,' said Taylor.

'Me too,' agreed Kelsi.

'Brie,' called Sharpay sweetly, 'would you?'

Gabriella rolled her eyes and got up from her position on the bed. 'I'll be back in a minute,' she said and skipped out the door.

Sharpay and Taylor high-fived.

* * *

'Well, well, well,' a voice said.

Troy turned to see Gabriella leaning against the doorframe. He grinned. 'Couldn't resist me, huh?' he said.

She snorted. 'Hardly. I got put on popcorn duty,' she explained. 'You?'

'Beverage duty,' he replied, as Gabriella grabbed a packet of popcorn and shoved it in the microwave.

'Am I the only one thinking we've been set up?' Gabriella asked.

'Definitely not,' was the reply that made Gabriella laugh.

He turned to the cupboard to get a couple of glasses and filled them with ice from the fridge. She leaned over to him and tried to reach another top cupboard to get a bowl, but she wasn't tall enough. Troy saw this and quickly picked her up by the waist and lifted her to the cupboard so she could open it, causing her to shriek and giggle. She managed to retrive what she needed and he tried to put her down carefully but he felt her slipping and she tumbled to the floor, pulling him down with her. He landed on top of her and he groaned. She was giggling and laughing constantly and soon he began to join in too. When their laughing fit subsided, Troy realised that he was still lying on top of her. She fell silent and he realised he could feel every inch of her 5 foot something frame pressed against his. He stared down at her face, and there was something about her messed up hair, wide eyes and slightly parted lips that nearly made him lose control. He leaned his head down slightly, and when he received no protest from her, he leaned in a bit more when...

_Ding._

'Popcorn's done,' she whispered.

'Yeah,' he whispered back. He pulled himself up off her and offered her his hand to help her up. She took it, and he hauled her to his feet, but must have pulled her too hard as she lost her balance and fell into him slightly. His arms caught her just as her hands gripped onto his shoulders for support. They were once more in the same position, except now they were standing up.

'We're getting good at this,' she murmured.

Troy let go of her suddenly and went to retrive the drinks. 'I should probably-'

'Hey!' Troy was cut off when Chad entered the kitchen. 'What was taking you so long man?' he asked, just as Sharpay, Taylor, Kelsi and the rest of the guys walked in.

'Look who it is!'

There was general chit chat and laughter for a minute until Sharpay interrupted them all. 'Guys, why don't we just put a movie on in the living room? It's pretty obvious that we're not gonna stay separated for the rest of the night,' she suggested.

'Good idea, Shar,' said Ryan. 'I'll go put something in.' He headed in the direction of the large main sitting room.

'Anybody up for grilled cheese?' asked Zeke, much to their delight.

Pretty soon, the gang was curled up on various couches in the Evan's living room, watching Scary Movie and eating grilled cheese sandwiches. Sharpay was snuggled up next to Zeke, Taylor was sharing her grilled cheese with Chad from their spot on the floor, Troy had his arms around Gabriella where they were settled on a soft suede couch and Ryan and Kelsi were sat worryingly close together on a plush loveseat.

The group talked a little and laughed a lot. Troy whispered in Gabriella's ear, making her giggle and smile and snuggle further into him. By the time they reached the end of the movie, the gang were slowly dropping asleep. Chad was sprawled on the floor, with Taylor under a blanket next to him. Zeke had his head thrown back and was snoring lightly, Sharpay's head resting on his shoulder. Kelsi was lying down with her legs across Ryan's lap, and Ryan was unknowingly resting his hand lightly on her leg. Troy was laid out of his back on the couch, and lying on top of him was Gabriella, one hand brought up near her face to rest on his torso, with his arms wrapped tightly around her and his chin resting on the top of her head.

When Sharpay woke up the next morning, she snapped a picture of the pair cuddled together, fast asleep.


	6. Confess

**Title – High**

**Summary – Slight AU. It's the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton's back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, his new neighbour. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she's quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.**

**Rating – T, to be safe.**

**Pairings – Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Zeke/Sharpay (for now)**

**Disclaimer – There's never much point writing one. I wouldn't be writing on here if I owned anything, would I?**

**A/N: I'll start the note today by saying thanks for the reviews. Keep it up! It seems that nearly every review mentions the word 'cute' or 'adorable :) It's great to know I'm doing an okay job. I am so pleased that I've been able to keep uploading chapters, this is the first story where I've actually added chapters on a fairly regular basis! I surprise myself sometimes...**

**P.S. Sorry this chapter's a little short. It's really a filler to the good stuff!**

* * *

Confess

When Troy woke up, he noticed that something was not right. He opened an eye and realised that he was still lying on Sharpay's couch. But this, however, was not the reason why something was not right. It was because Gabriella was no longer lying on top of him. Troy sat up and stretched, before stepping over a comatose Chad (the only one still asleep) and heading for the kitchen.

Sitting on the counter was Taylor, drinking a glass of milk. She was dressed in denim shorts and a blue top with three quarter length sleeves and a v-neck. Her hair was in curls and was pushed back with a silver headband. She looked up when he walked in and greeted him with a 'Hey.'

He nodded at her and pulled open the fridge door.

'Monosyllabic in the mornings?' she asked.

Troy grunted. Taylor laughed.

'Well, Zeke and Sharpay went to get groceries for breakfast, Gabriella went for a run, and Kelsi and Ryan are getting dressed. Do you have any idea what's going on between those two?' she asked. 'They seemed awfully cosy last night, but then so did you and Brie, not that we're not used to it.'

Troy grinned at her and pulled a carton of juice out of the fridge. Grabbing a glass and pouring some juice in it, he asked, 'How are you and Chad?'

Taylor was slightly taken aback at the abrupt question. It wasn't like Troy to ask about her and Chad's relationship. In fact, it wasn't like any guy to ask about someone's relationship.

'Uh, we're great, actually, we're doing really good,' she answered.

Troy nodded. 'Good. You're really good for him. To be honest I've never seen him this happy before, and I've never seen him behave the way he does with you with a girl.'

'Really?' Taylor asked, pleased.

'Really,' said Troy with a smile. 'You two are perfect for each other.'

Taylor made a happy noise. 'Well, you and Gabriella seem to have hit it off pretty well.'

Troy sighed. 'Yeah...'

'Or not,' said Taylor. 'What's wrong?'

Troy hesitated. 'It's just...do you think we're rushing things?'

He looked up at Taylor with worried puppy-dog eyes, and Taylor instantly felt sympathetic. He was genuinely concerned about what she thought. But wait, if he liked Gabriella that much, wouldn't he just want to be with her?

'Well,' Taylor started, trying her best to be tactful. 'She's been here a month now, and you guys instantly clicked, so I wouldn't really say that you're going too fast.'

Troy sighed again. 'I guess sometimes I feel like I don't know her. I mean, we talk a lot, and I've told her practically everything about me. I think...I think I just feel like I don't know who she is sometimes,' he admitted. 'She seems really guarded. Whenever I try to ask her something about her she'll change the subject. I don't even know where her dad is.'

Taylor looked concerned. 'I think Gabriella is the kind of person who tends to keep her secrets locked up. Keeps her skeletons in the closet, you know?'

Troy nodded.

'People are all different, Troy,' Taylor continued, 'and maybe Brie is just one of those people you meet once in a while. And anyway, you like her, so isn't that all that matters?'

Troy nodded again, sighing slightly in relief. 'You're right,' he said. 'I should just stop worrying. She'll talk when she's ready.'

Taylor hopped off the counter and laid a supportive hand on his shoulder. 'Things will be fine, Troy.'

'Yeah, thanks Taylor,' Troy said.

'No problem,' Taylor replied, smiling. 'I'd better go wake up Chad now - wish me luck,' she said skipping out of the room.

'Helloooo?' Sharpay's voice rang out through the house. 'We're home!'

'In the kitchen!' Troy called back.

Sharpay and Zeke entered the kitchen laden with bags, happy smiles on their faces. 'Zeke's gonna make his special chocolate chip banana pancakes!' Sharpay squealed.

'Did someone say pancakes?' Chad asked as he waltzed into the kitchen, his arm around Taylor's waist.

'We're up for pancakes,' came Ryan's voice as he and Kelsi entered the kitchen. Kelsi's hair was wet, and her shirt was slightly askew. She pulled at it self-consciously and pushed her glasses further up her nose.

'The gangs all here!' exclaimed Zeke, and started to pull ingredients out of the bags and grabbed bowls from the cupboards.

'Hey, where's Brie?' Sharpay asked, directing the comment in Troy's direction.

'She went for a run,' he said quietly.

'Well go shower then,' Sharpay said. 'You too Chad! No shower, no pancakes.'

Troy and Chad turned and trudged up the stairs to the bathrooms.

'Hey, man,' Troy started. 'Don't screw things up with Taylor.' Chad gave him a bewildered look.

'She deserves the best,' Troy said, and Chad nodded.

'She'll get it,' Chad said. 'Don't worry, man, I know when a good thing comes along I should try my hardest not to lose it. And I am not prepared to lose Taylor.'

Troy smiled and nodded. He turned to head into a bathroom, but Chad's voice interrupted him before he could turn the door handle.

'You should take the same advice.'

Troy hesitated before turning the doorhandle and stepping into the bathroom. Steam immediately filled his lungs and he heard a scream.

'Get out!' someone yelled.

Troy quickly stepped out and slammed the door behind him. He leaned back on it, breathing heavily, his eyes wide.

He'd just seen...he'd just seen...

Gabriella.

* * *

Troy lay on Ryan's bed with his hands covering his face. How was he going to be able to face her now, after he'd just walked in on her in the shower? He removed his hands when he heard the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw Gabriella sneaking into the room. Her hair was damp and curling slightly at the ends, and she was dressed in a yellow t-shirt and a denim skirt. Her feet were bare and her face was clear and slightly flushed.

'Hey,' she whispered sheepishly, coming to stand before him. He sat up.

'Hey,' he said.

There was a pause, she looked down at the ground an Troy realised this was the first time he'd ever seen her nervous.

'Look-' she said at the same time he said 'I'm sorry-'

They both laughed nervously.

'I'm sorry,' Troy said. 'I should have knocked first.'

'No, I should have locked the door,' she said.

There was another silence. 'Sorry,' they both said at the same time, then laughed.

'So,' Troy said casually, 'do you always wear a shower cap?'

Gabriella made a shocked face and then grabbed a pillow and started hitting him with it. 'I was not wearing one and you know it!'

Troy laughed and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto the bed.

'Hey!' she screamed, giggling manically, struggling and trying to hit him with the pillow. He threw her around on the bed and she pulled him down, not realising that he would lose his balance and gently land on top of her.

Her giggles subided, staring up at him. He had raised himself up on his arms and he was now watching her intently, a slight smile on his lips. She breathed out.

Her hair was tangled and fanned out behind her, and her eyes shined. Troy felt a feeling of deja vu. He leaned down towards her. Gabriella tilted her head slightly and realised how close Troy's face was. All she had to do was lean up slightly and they'd be-

'Guys, pancakes are ready!' Sharpay yelled as she threw the door open.

Troy and Gabriella sprang apart and Troy leapt up from the bed, quickly crying 'We'll be right down!' at Sharpay. Gabriella smoothed down her clothes as Sharpay looked from her to Troy and back.

'Uh, I'll come with you,' said Gabriella quickly, before practically running out of the room.

Sharpay raised her eyebrows at Troy, a knowing grin spreading across her face.

'How about those pancakes?' he said before also running out of the door.

Sharpay folded her arms, a plan forming in her mind.


	7. Plans

**Title – High**

**Summary – Slight AU. It's the start of senior year, and Troy Bolton's back from spending the summer in Europe to find that the gang has a new member, his new neighbour. Gabriella Montez. Smart and spirited, she's quite possibly everything Troy never knew he wanted.**

**Rating – T, to be safe.**

**Pairings – Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Zeke/Sharpay (for now)**

**Disclaimer – There's never much point writing one. I wouldn't be writing on here if I owned anything, would I?**

**A/N: Hey guys! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry about the extremely long hiatus but hopefully I'm back. I apologise in advance if I don't update as soon as you all hope.**

* * *

Plans

'It looks like turquoise is the 'it' colour this year,' commented Sharpay, casually taking a sip from her iced tea as she flipped through a copy of _Seventeen. _'Turquoise and ice blue. I'm seeing a _lot_ of blue.'

'Shar, who actually cares?' asked Taylor sarcastically, stealing one of Gabriella's cheese fries.

Sharpay looked shocked. '_I care, _that's who. Don't sue a girl for trying to make the night perfect.'

Sharpay, Taylor and Kelsi were sat in the East High cafeteria at lunch, discussing the upcoming Winter Formal. Sharpay was head of the Dance Committee, and had been talking about the Winter Formal for _months. _(Everyone else was getting a little sick and tired of her discussing caterers, decorations and lists of DJs with them.) 'Every detail has to be perfect,' she'd tell them.

'Sharpay, you've still got the Spring Formal and Prom to come. Please don't tell me you're gonna be like this until graduation,' Taylor asked, rolling her eyes.

'She's right, Shar, you can't let it take over your life. You've got the Winter Musicale to rehearse, too,' Kelsi pointed out.

Sharpay sighed, her shoulders visibly drooping. 'You guys are right. And I've gotta put Operation 123 into action soon.' She looked up at the two dark haired girls sat opposite her. 'And there's no way I can do it without your help.'

'Do what without their help?' asked Gabriella, as she breezed over, slipping into the seat next to Taylor. She picked up the diet Coke she had on her lunch tray and cracked the can open.

'Err…' Taylor faltered, shooting warning looks at Sharpay.

'Pick my dress!' blurted out Sharpay. 'For the formal, there's no way I'll be able to decide without you guys,' she schmoosed, with a smooth grin on her face. She held up the magazine. 'I mean, how am I gonna choose between ruched satin or red chiffon without you guys?' She pouted for extra effect. Gabriella laughed.

'Shar, you know you're gonna look gorgeous no matter what. Shouldn't you be planning how you're gonna convince Zeke to squeeze into a tux?'

'Oh no, I already have that sorted,' Sharpay said with a devilish grin. 'I told him he'd never get that new Magimix blender he's been after for Christmas if he didn't go with me.'

'Sharpay!' Taylor scolded, while Gabriella and Kelsi laughed.

'What?' said Sharpay innocently. 'What about you guys? How'd you manage to rope Jason and Chad into going?'

'I didn't have to,' said Taylor. 'Chad just asked me.'

'When?' asked Sharpay, looking slightly jealous.

'Last weekend,' Taylor replied. 'He turned up at my house with flowers, and took me in his dad's car to dinner at La Serena, and asked me there.' Taylor got a dreamy look in her eyes.

'What?' asked Sharpay. 'That is _so romantic!_'

'I know,' sighed Taylor.

'Wow,' laughed Gabriella. 'Who would have thought Chad Danforth was such a romantic.'

'What about you Kelsi?' asked Sharpay. 'How did Jason ask you?'

'Jason's not going,' said Kelsi, looking downcast.

'Since when?' asked Gabriella.

'Since his parents decided to go away for the weekend of the formal. Jason's gotta look after his little sister.' Kelsi pushed some food around on her plate.

Sharpay shook her head. 'No way. This is like, one of the most important nights of our lives!'

'After Prom, and your wedding day, and the birth of your children and all,' Taylor butted in.

Sharpay waved her hand dismissively. 'Whatever. The point is, your boyfriend can't even get off his ass to take you to a stupid dance?'

'Uh, since when did it become a stupid dance, Shar? You're the one saying it's gonna be the best night of our lives,' Gabriella pointed out.

'Irregardless,' Sharpay dismissed. 'You'd think he could at least find a sitter.'

Kelsi sighed. 'Oh well. It doesn't matter anyway. Not everyone is gonna have a date.'

The girls fell into silence, eating their lunch until Sharpay piped up with, 'so what about you, Brie?'

Gabriella looked up blankly. 'What about me?'

'Who you going with? Troy popped the question yet?' Sharpay asked devilishly.

Gabriella smiled, and then looked down at her hands. 'No. I think…no. No, he hasn't.'

'And what is that supposed to mean?' asked Taylor.

Gabriella sighed. 'I don't know. Ever since the Pancake Incident things have been…I don't know. He's just been a bit more reserved I guess. Like we haven't fooled around as much, and he's been quieter on the drive to school…I guess things have just become weird.'

The girls were sympathetic. Gabriella was obviously falling for Troy, and Troy was obviously falling for Gabriella, so why was he pulling away now?

Sharpay narrowed her eyes. 'I don't understand why girls have to wait around for the guys to ask them. I mean, isn't that a little backward?'

'Damn right it is,' Taylor agreed.

'If a girl wants a date to a dance, _she_ should just ask _him. _It would be so much easier than having to wait 'til the guys made up their minds. Guys never know what they want anyway,' dismissed Sharpay. 'If you want to go with Troy, Gabriella, you should just _ask _him.'

Gabriella looked thoughtful. 'I don't know, is it bad that I want to be backward? I never had a _real _date to one of these things.'

Jaws dropped open.

'Seriously?' asked Kelsi. 'But you're gorgeous!'

'I wasn't always gorgeous,' laughed Gabriella. 'I never got asked out on dates.'

'Well, we'll just have to do something about that,' smiled Sharpay.

'Do something about what?' asked Zeke, as he dropped a lazy kiss on Sharpay's lips, before slipping into the seat next to her, Jason and Chad following suit with their respective girlfriends.

'Oh, you know,' said Sharpay secretively. 'How was practice?'

'It was good! We're so gonna kick those Pirates butts next month!' Zeke exclaimed.

'Hell yeah! Those punks ain't gonna know what hit 'em!' Chad cut in, exchanging a high five with Jason.

'Honey,' said Taylor, 'I appreciate your love of sports and I'm supportive of it, but could you please save the macho talk for _after_ lunch?'

'Uh, sure sweetie,' sang Chad sweetly, kissing Taylor on the cheek.

'Um, where's Troy?' Gabriella asked.

'I think he was still in the gym when we left,' answered Chad. 'He was gonna practice a bit more.'

'Oh, okay,' Gabriella said. 'I just remembered I have to go grab my books for my next class. I'll see you guys later,' she called as she gathered her bag and walked quietly off.

'Okay, what is going on with Troy and Gabriella?' asked Chad.

'You tell us,' said Taylor.

'What?' said Chad.

'Do you guys know the reason Troy's been avoiding her? piped up Kelsi.

Chad shrugged; Zeke shook his head; Jason looked blank.

'Hey, I just remembered I've gotta get my books for my next class as well,' Sharpay announced, standing up.

'We've got drama, it's our rehearsal lesson,' said Kelsi. 'You don't need any books.'

'Oh, well,' stalled Sharpay, 'you know me; I like to have some…light reading with me. Bye guys!' With that, she hurried out of the cafeteria, leaving everyone else confused and bewildered.

'What, she reads now?' said Chad, looking a Zeke.

Zeke simply gave a 'don'tlookatme' shrug.

* * *

'Bolton!'

Troy was shooting free throws when he heard the call of his name and the unmistakable _click clack_ that announced the arrival of Sharpay in her heels.

'We need to talk.'

'Okay,' he said slowly, mystified.

Sharpay stood in front of him, on hand on her hip, her tight jeans low enough to show a strip of flat tanned stomach. Her hair was perfectly curled, her makeup flawless. She was hot, there was no mistaking that, but there was still something missing…

_She's still not Gabriella, _Troy realised.

'What is your problem?' Sharpay asked, her voice slightly shrill. 'Why are you avoiding Gabriella?'

Troy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 'Oh boy…'

'I don't appreciate your tone, Bolton,' Sharpay said sharply. 'She's been nothing but charming, and you choose now to start fazing her out?'

'I'm not fazing her out,' Troy cut in, his voice rising a little. 'It's just…complicated.'

'How?'

Troy sighed heavily again. 'I don't know…'

'How can you not know?' cried Sharpay. When he didn't answer, she sat down on one of the bleachers and said, 'look, why don't you ask her to the Winter Formal? Don't try and play dumb with me, Bolton, we can all see you're completely infatuated.'

Troy was silent.

'Come on, Troy, what's the worst that could happen? That she's says no? Take a chance, take a risk! You know you want to.'

A silence ensured. A million thoughts swirled round Troy's head. Take Gabriella to the dance? He couldn't ask her. He'd admit it – the big shot basketball star was a little afraid. Afraid of what? How a girl made him feel? No. Afraid of how a girl might make him feel if she turned him down. But still…imagining picking Gabriella up in a tux, seeing her in a long dress with her hair done, slipping a corsage on her wrist and posing for a photo before driving her to the high school in the car his dad had been fixing up for him…imagining it was just too hard to resist.

'I'll think about it,' he said to Sharpay.

Triumphantly, she smiled.

* * *

'Hey, Gabriella,' smiled her lab partner, as she breezed into Chemistry and sat down.

'Hey, Parker,' she said, smiling back at him.

Parker Koutchalis was a tall, well-built guy, with short, dark hair, friendly green eyes and a killer behind. He also played on the school's water polo team, but behind his jock exterior, he held a near perfect GPA. He was a good guy with a great sense of humour, and he continuously cracked jokes for Gabriella throughout the class. Gabriella liked him a lot – they had become good friends, even if they didn't run in the same circles.

'Hey, listen,' Parker asked, leaning slightly closer to her and lowering his voice, 'can I talk to you about something after class?'

'Sure,' said Gabriella, 'but why so secret?' she asked, mock-whispering.

Parker laughed and winked at her.

* * *

The drive home was quiet, as all their drives had become. She sat looking out the window, resting her chin on a hand, and twirling her hair with the other. Troy stole looks at her, and he found that as they grew closer and closer to their respective homes, his hands were growing sweatier and he was feeling more nervous. _Stop it, Bolton, _he told himself, _she's just a girl, _just_ a girl._

As he pulled up outside her house, she went to unbuckle her seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

'Wait,' he said, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving.

She turned around, and looked at him with questioning eyes.

'Err…' Troy started.

'Troy? I haven't got all day,' she said.

'Yeah, well, I just wanted to say, you know, that, err…the, err, Winter Formal is coming up,' he stammered.

She sat back in her seat and laughed. 'Why does everyone keep mentioning that today? Must be something in the water.'

'Yeah, so, anyway, I was just…err, um…I-I just wondered…who you were going with, you know, not that I'm interested, I was just curious, you know, as since you said everyone was talking about it today I just wondered if you already have a date for it, you know, just as a random question?' he blurted out.

She smiled, 'Actually, it's weird that you asked that, cus I do.' She pulled open the car door and hopped out.

What? She had a date? 'Wait!' Troy yelled. This was _not_ how things were meant to go. Gabriella turned around halfway up her path and looked at him. 'What?'

'You…you have date?' he asked.

'Isn't that what I just said?'

'But…with who?'

'Parker Koutchalis,' she said. 'He's my lab partner in Chemistry, and he asked me after class today. It was really quite sweet of him to ask.'

Troy's mouth hung open. 'Parker Koutchalis? Isn't he on the _water polo team?_'

'Yeah. So?' said Gabriella, sounding slightly bored.

Troy took a couple of slow steps towards her. 'He plays water polo, Gabriella. _Water polo._'

'Well, _yeah_, _Troy_, I had gathered that, considering his is on the team,' she called back to him.

'How can you go out with a _water polo player??' _Troy asked, his voice rising. 'And one with a name like _Parker?_'

'For your information, _Troy_,' Gabriella said, growing equally angry, 'he's not just a water polo player, he's my lab partner too.' She turned to go inside her house, but Troy's voice stopped her once again.

'Oh, so that makes it all better?' Troy said sarcastically.

'How is going out with a water polo player any worse than going out with a varsity basketball player?' she countered, turning on her heel and taking several angry steps towards him. 'Huh?'

'Well you could have at least talked to me about it first!'

Gabriella threw her hands up in exasperation. 'Why, why would I have needed to do that, Troy?' she yelled. 'In case you haven't noticed, we're not together, you don't own me and you certainly can't control me.'

'Do you even know anything about this guy, Gabriella?' Troy hissed.

'Yes, I know he's a damn sight better than some people around here! He's a good guy and he makes me laugh,' she said, standing still, her face livid with rage. 'And at least _he_ had the guts to ask me.' With that she turned on her heel and marched into her house, slamming the door behind her.

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